Project Description

I have virtually no experience with babies. I never babysat, never changed a diaper (that I can remember), and, before yesterday, couldn’t remember the last time I held a baby.

No one can prepare you for such a terrifying experience.

My cousin’s wife gave birth on Saturday to a beautiful, perfect, squishy little girl. I ooo’ed and ahh’ed over the pictures and was/am so excited for them!

After my baby shower on Sunday (which was super fun!), I traveled with my mom and a friend to go see said baby and congratulate my cousin and his wife on creating such a perfect human specimen.

My mom, who has held enough babies in her time, held her like a pro. Then, she turned to me with a devious look on her face and I knew it was my turn.

Maybe if she had been a gigantic 10lb baby…maybe then I would have felt more sure that I wouldn’t break her. But, my friends, this perfectly full-term baby weighed 5 lbs, 14 ounces at birth. She was like a little china doll.

My hands immediately started sweating like crazy as Mom handed her to me. It wasn’t the sweet, relaxed arm-crook hold, more of a two-handed “try to support every inch of her little body” hold. She was perfectly polite and slept through the whole thing as I held her as close to my body as I could without fearing that I would suffocate her.

I held her gingerly and, despite her crazy sweetness, passed her off to my mom as soon as an acceptable amount of time had passed.

I fear that my own child will be deprived of human interaction because I’ll be too scared to touch or hold her. It’s different with your own baby, right? I need some reassurance here!

And, I wouldn’t mind some ice cream too.

This monster cookie dough ice cream is SO easy – and no machine required! There is the extra step of making the cookie dough, but trust me, it is very worth it! It is smooth and creamy, with chocolate candies and big, chewy hunks of cookie dough. You’re welcome.

[i]2. Cookie dough chunks:[/i] Using half of the cookie dough, place small chunks of cookie dough on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Place in freezer for 10-15 minutes.

Beat 2 cups of heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the 14 ounces of sweetened condensed milk with the other half of the reserved cookie dough. Fold in the whipped heavy cream until no white streaks remain. Gently stir in frozen chunks of cookie dough and 1/2 cup M&Ms.

Place in covered container and freeze overnight (or at least 6 hours).

Notes

Cookie dough recipe adapted from The Food Network.

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48 Comments

Oh, I’m so glad you had a fun baby shower yesterday! OK, some reassurance…holding a baby will get easier and easier. It’s like riding a bike. Each time, your comfort level increases and all anxiety is eliminated thusly ushering in your confidence. I could not have children (docs didn’t know about PCOS when I was younger during peak child bearing years) and I just LOVE cradling babies. (I’m the oldest of 4 and babysat a TON in our neighborhood.) Always wanted to be a mom. So, embrace the gift of a baby, your own coming soon, and know that your confidence will be there when you need it. Whenever in doubt, pray for strength. It always works for me! By the way…fun ice cream recipe today, Jennifer! xoxo

Oh Jennifer you motherly instincts will definitely kick in and you will be fine. Actually as soon as that oxytocin hits, you will be cradling that baby like a pro and you will not want to share! You are going to be a great mom
PS: This ice-cream is amazing!! I don’t own a machine so this is on my list before the heat goes away.
Oh PPS: I loved plums!! Bought 2lbs and have been enjoying them. Baked a cake too

It’s such a normal fear! I remember being so scared of that too, and you know what? The second they handed me Jordan, holding her didn’t seem hard at all. Now, putting her down or handing her to someone else, different story. 😉 LOVE the ice cream!

I hadn’t held a baby either (same exact situation w/ no babysitting, no little siblings, etc.), but you end up holding your own babe so much it becomes easy peasy after literally a day. The hand off from person to person takes a little getting used to, but just the holding, you’re be a pro in no time! Also, yummmy ice cream!

Ok, that is awesome to know, Michelle! I had a feeling it would start to “kick in” after our little one was born, but then I just felt like such a weirdo about holding her! I could NOT get over how little she was!!

I was exactly the same! Never babysat and refused to hold babies when visiting others in the hospital. I held my nieces and nephew but not for very long. Once it’s your baby you’re still a little worried because they’re so tiny, but you will have such a special bond that you will want to hold them all the time. And then you may find yourself being much much better with other people’s babies and children. That was the biggest change for me…before I wanted nothing to do with other people’s kids, now I’m not scared to hold a baby or talk to a toddler. Glad your shower was fun and the ice cream looks delicious!

Trust me, it is so different with your own kid! I ran for babies before I had my own. I never changed a diaper, graciously got out of holding them, and avoided every situation I could. Then I had my own, and it just happened. I was scared the first time, but when they are yours, it is just easier!

oh my my… this sounds heavenly! definitely will be trying this soon, i have all the ingredients for “no machine” ice cream ready to go!

i am the SAME way with babies. never babysat, never changed a diaper… luckily 2 years ago 3 of my close friends had babies so i got to do a lot of holding. i just keep telling myself that it will be different when it’s my own!

Oh my goodness, I could related to this post 100%. My husband and I don’t have kids yet, and to date, I always decline when someone offers to let me hold an infant. I love kids, *in theory.* I’m just so afraid I won’t support the neck properly. Or, what if the baby starts wailing as soon as I hold him/her. How awful would that be? But I’ve also heard what everyone else here is saying — that it will come naturally with your own child.

This ice cream recipe is spectacular. LOVE the huge cookie dough clusters. And how fantastic that no ice cream maker is needed!

First off, YUM! And no worries, you won’t want to let go of your baby when you first hold that bundle of joy. I chuckled when you said a gigantic 10lb baby…I had one of those. She was the Michelin Man! A little over due and looked like she was 6 months old! But she slept thru the night from day 1!

Thanks, Susie! I hope my little one is a…”solid” baby, so to speak. A little more weight on her will make me feel like she is a little less fragile 😉 Since she has been in the 66-67 percentile , I don’t think that will be a problem!

You’re a machine – a ice cream making machine that is! Again, another wonderful recipe and such a beautiful photo! Will you be posting pics from your baby shower? Happy you had a nice time and don’t worry, you’ll be fine with your new baby. When I was pregnant, I had a blast decorating the nursery, filling the closet, etc. But when I would walk past the room, I thought, I have no idea what to do with a baby!!!!

Yeah, I didn’t even realize that I had just posted an ice cream recipe a couple weeks ago! I’ve been trying to get lots of posts done ahead of time before this little girl gets here, so I hadn’t noticed how close the posts were to one another! Oh well

You know, I don’t think I took a single picture of the shower! But, I know a friend did – I’ll probably try to get some pictures from her and hopefully share a couple! I also had a blast working on the nursery – I like to just go in there and stare at everything…is that weird? 😉

Hi Jennifer,
Congratulations! Wow, your baby is so lucky to have a mom like you who can whip such fancy and cool things.
This cookie dough ice cream looks unbelievably delicious! Another recipe I have to make from your blog soon for my baby!

Haha, and as far as the baby holding thing goes, I’m sure you’ll be fine! It HAS to be different with your own baby. I’m super scared of holding babies too, I held my husband’s cousin’s baby for the first time not long ago, and I think I was able to not freak out for about 20 seconds, but that was about it.